Control apparatus for alternating current motors



Nov; 12, 1946. .r. J, ME H 2,411,051

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR ALTERNATING cummuw mowoas Filed June 19, 1944 /3 NVENTOR Frame: 12%; BY q -WAQ,

ATTORNEYS lleteoiesi New; E2, 1946 miss ooN'rsoL APPARATUS FOR Arrows-mo cosmos-r MQTORS Massachusetts Application June 19, 1944, Serial No. ssosso 3 Claims.

invention relates to the control of alternoting current motors, such for example as the synchronous motors used as timing motors for various purposes.

The invention has for its object the provision of means for stopping an alternating current motello. responseto any suitable control element and holding it in its stopped position, without opening the switch by which the motor was started.

More psrlioularly, the invention has for an object the provislonoi a rectifying means for alternating current, which means is shunted across the motor Winding so that, when placed in action, is short circuit the positive hali cycles of the voltage wave. The result is the elimination from the motor of 3,318 major part of the positive foali oyeles oi" the voltage Wave, whereby the motor will be stopped almost instantly and will be llelel megn icslly in its stopped position as lon as the re means remains in action.

Asses-iii to 2-, further object of the invention, the reetiiylos moons consists of a grid-controlled rectifier tube of the vacuum or gaseous type, such means slog capable oi actuation by a minute quantity of electric power, as for example, that derived fro time use of e phototuoe es the contsol elemelel.

These objects will loest lee understood as the deteilecl description proceeds and they will lee pointeo". out in the appended claims,

The invention will so disclosezi wlth reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

' Figs. 1 to are diagrammeticel views showing the inventiop in several diilerent emweodlmeoizs.

Referring to Fig. l of this drawing, 3 represents the rotor oi as alternating current mote? eml 2 its the latter being eoonecteel MIG-fissile Wires 3 ll, which supply alternating current at le voltage and frequency, such for exs issue-ll commeroiel supply 315 Q eycles. The motor rosy lie smell motor suols as is in tim ng -e example of one such motor will lo-e The Haydon mosor is oi the or eotome seoteel by 6 ans shows as interposed in wire is,

Also the circuit to the motor is im oonoe ll of any suitable Emil, pres stably :2, oomleoseir, for seasons Wliieli will "later oppose.

This invest-ion foes to do with the stopping of tile mol 5 one ollesectez'lzefil in metal-ho e patent "to Haydon Iio. 2,(l l=9,2l3l,

2 motor is stopped without the use of e switch or relay in the supply circuit of the motor winding.

For this purpose, I provide for the rectiiicstlon of the alternating voltage wave, drawing a pulsating direct current through wires 3 and l of such magnitude as to produce :ior all precticol purposes the effect of a, short circuit across the motor field on the positive cycle oi voltage. Impedance 3 is included in the circuit, first, for the purpose of limiting the current flow in the rectifier during the above mentioned short circult periods, and, second, for the purpose of dropping the voltage across motor iielrl 2 to a very low value, when rectified cui'rent flows tli'l'ough the wires ii and ii. The resultant effect is the elimination from the field of she motor of the major portion oi the positive hell eycles of the voltage Wave and therootor stops instantly and motor. condenser having a espeoity of 1 mid. heater ll is connected to any suitable sou;

"oe o eleotrleity at low voltage, represente, lay the wire and soy for example six volts. One termin oi the heater l l is also connected to wire also the terminal oi "fielding grid 3 ventiorislly representeofoy switch the other terminal or" which the prevents the to s l ifs-cm operating until toe l3- slre sot-ion has taken place. When toe lee l is actual-eel by the closing of the control element 215, o: allows current to flow from plots to ostl'lczle out not in s severse oiieetion soil the motor is stopped. as above forth.

impedance the comes; through the tube 5 and preierebly comes see to to 52. very low value, ar on the positive level-es.

be a resistor, condenser, or an inductance. A resistor may be most economical provided sumcient voltage is available to allow some loss or drop through it under running conditions. The use of a condenser to produce approximate resonance with the timing motor may provide an actual increase in voltage at the motor over the supply voltage. When the tube I operates, the motor current falls to a very low value because the resonance is destroyed. With the use of a condenser the power loss is nil. Where higher motor currents are necessary, to secure locking of the timing motor, as for example in those cases where a spring has been wound up by the motor and must be held against unwinding during the motor-locking period, a resistance or inductance ma be used at 6 to provide for any value of current desired.

In Fig. 2, the invention has been shown in an embodiment where the control element is a phototube 20, electrically connected across the plate 8 and grid 9 of tube 7. Here the tube heater i I is shown as supplied from a six volt secondary 2| of a transformer, the primary 22 of which is connected to the wires 3, 4 of the supply source. A secondary 23 of the same transformer may supply 6 to 12 volts alternating current as the bias for tube i. A condenser Mmay be connected in the bias circuit, as shown, and preferably is so connected where the bias voltage is alternating. The other connections are as shown in Fig. 1. The operation is substantially the same as in Fig. 1, except that the presence of light on the phototube 20 starts the operation of tube 1. The phototube provides an exceedingly sensitive control element and causes operation of tube 1 by a minute amount of electrical power.

In Fig. 3, the bias is obtained from a resistor 26 in series with the timing motor. The other connections are substantially the same as in Fig.

2. Because the timing motor-has inductance as well as resistance, the voltage across it differs slightly in phase from the bias voltage obtained across resistor 25. This is an undesirable condition and is overcome by applying the bias to the grid of tube 1 through the condenser 24. The latter charges up because of the rectifying action of the grid 9 and provides a direct current bias. The condenser 24 has a capacity of .001 mfd. more or less.

In Fig; 4, bias is obtained from a voltage divider 26, connected acrossthe timing motor and consisting of resistors 21 and 28. The resistance 21 is low enough in value so as not to interfere appreciably with the action of tube 1. As here shown, the bias is in phase with the motor voltage, being obtained directly from it. Therefore, the bias may be applied to the grid 9 of the tube 1 through a resistor 29, having a resistance of 5 megohms, more or less. A condenser may nevertheless be used in place of the resistor 29 in this circuit, if desired.

The different figures show diii'erent methods of obtaining grid bias. The methods shown are not exclusive and any other suitable ones may be used as desired.

In all the figures of the drawings, there is the same fundamental invention, namely, a rectifying means set into action by a control element of any suitable form and acting to change the normal' alternating voltage wave across the motor to one of unsymmetrical form and of such nature as to prevent rotation of the motor.

As an example of one practical use of their:- vention, it may be used to stop the control shaft of a timing motor at a predetermined position after some operation has been effected and to hold such shaft in such position as long as some certain condition is satisfied, as evidenced by the control element. Then, when such condition is no longer satisfied, the motor may be released and allowed to continue to turn to another position to efiect some other operation.

I claim:

1. The combination with a single phase alternating current motor having a main field winding and a shadedpole winding for starting purposes, of a circuit including said main field winding and adapted for connection to a supply of alternating current, a, grid-controlled electronic rectifier tube having its plate-cathode circuit coupled to said first-named circuit in parallel with said main field winding, an impedance in said first-named circuit in series with the plate-cathode circuit of said tube and with said main field winding and of such value as to limit the current fiow through said plate-cathode circuit to a safe value, and control means operable by changing the grid potential of said tube to,

directly control its action and to place the same into or out of action to respectively stop the motor or enable it to operate.

2. The combination with a single phase alternating current motor having a main field winding and a shaded pole winding for starting purposes, of a circuit including said main field winding and adapted for connection to a supply of alternating current, an electronic rectifier tube having its plate-cathode circuit coupled to said first-named circuit in parallel with said main field winding, an impedance in said first-named circuit in series with the plate-cathode circuit of said tube and with said main field winding and of such value as to limit the *current flow through said plate-cathode circuit to a safe value, and means for changing the plate-cathode circuit from a non-conducting condition in which said motor operates normally in the first-named circuit to a conducting condition in which the current fiow through the main field winding is changed to uni-directional form to stop the motor and hold it in its stopped position.

3. The combination with a single phase alternating current motor having a main field winding and a shaded pole winding for starting purposes, of a circuit including said main field winding and adapted for connection to a supply of alternating current, an electronic tube having its plate-cathode circuit coupled to the firstnamed circuit in parallel with said main field winding, a capacitor in the first named circuit in series with said main field winding and with the plate-cathode circuit and of such value as to produce resonance in the first-named circuit at the frequency of the supply, and control means for changing the plate-cathode circuit from a non-conducting condition, in which the motor operates normally in the first-named circuit, to a conducting condition, whereby the action of the tube destroys the resonance of the first-named circuit and converts the current through the main field winding to uni-directional form to stop the motor and hold it in its stopped position.

THEODORE-i J. 

